Business Productivity

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Over the past few years, there has been a growing sentiment that “email is dead” as a communication tool, having fallen victim to constantly improving technological alternatives such as social media, texting and instant messaging. Well, we’re here to prove to you that these claims are unfounded. In fact, email is thriving and will continue to do so for many years to come.

So how can we boast this claim? Well, here are a few reasons why we can confidently say, “Email is here to stay.” Take a look:

Email is UniversalThere are more than 3.3 billion active email addresses currently because anyone can get an email address. In fact, most people have multiple email accounts, used for things such as: work, family and more just to name a few examples. Email is universal because of how easy it is to get an email address.

Email is not Platform Specific Email is a standard Internet technology. As long as you have an email address, anyone can send and receive email. It doesn’t matter if one person has a Gmail account and the other person has a Yahoo one; they can still email each other without any obstacles. With social media services, on the other hand, you would need to be on the same platform in order to communicate. So if you were on Facebook, you could only message another person on Facebook. You couldn’t message a person from Facebook who only had a Twitter account, for example. This cross platform functionality is another reason why email is so widely adopted and used.

Email is the Backbone of Other ServicesMost, if not all online services, require an email address. Using any online service, such as shopping on Amazon, chatting on Skype or liking a post on Facebook, requires an email address as part of the account registration process. Because it’s not possible for anyone to have the same email address, your email address is your “identification” or “key” to your identity and life online. For these reasons, having a valid email address is a critical part of online activity, even if you’re not sending mail.

Email Can Share More InformationLet’s face it – texting and sharing are great tools, but you can send more information through email than any social media platform. Using email, you can compose long and detailed messages, and attach accompanying files to any message recipient. With text messaging, you are restricted to only 106 characters per message and are subject to additional service provider fees depending on where the recipient is located. In the same way, messages composed and sent on social media platforms also have a character limit, and attachments are restricted to specific video formats, photo formats and sharable links. For example, Facebook has a 5000-character limit, no text formatting functionality and limited video uploading formats. Twitter is even more restrictive, allowing users only 140 characters. Conversely, email has virtually no limitations when it comes to composing, attaching and sharing.

Email is Time-TestedEmail has been around since 1972, and continues to grow year after year. According to Radicati Group, an email market research firm, in 2017, the number of worldwide email users will top 3.7 billion. Social media is a more recent phenomenon having come into existence in 1997, and while useful, has yet to become ingrained in every part of a user’s online activity. As you can see, Email is an essential foundation for all the things we do on the Internet – staying in touch, sharing, shopping and more!

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Email is an important part of everyday life. We receive electronic bills, shopping offers, and personal email constantly, and we read them on our desktops, laptops, phones and tablets. Email is so ingrained in our day-to-day lives, and we rely on it to stay in touch with work, family and friends.

As a result, many of us struggle to stay on top of the avalanche of the perpetual email. In fact, most of us rarely arrive at Inbox Zero – the idea of a keeping your inbox empty of or nearly empty.

In an effort to help you manage your email more effectively, we’ve outlined a few helpful ways you can work your way back to a manageable inbox, and free some time for yourself to do other, important things.

Put email on the ScheduleSuccessful people don’t just check email; they process it. Treat email like any other task. Plan time for it, put it on your daily schedule and then tackle it like anything else you want to accomplish. More importantly, stick to the allotted time you designate for it so that you don’t get caught up and miss out on other important things. Putting email on your schedule will ensure that it’s done with intention.

Use multiple email addressesIf you don’t already, having a backup email address or (a few) is a good thing. You can use one for all your online shopping accounts and another for your online subscriptions to newsletters and forums, thereby leaving your main email address for messages that you actually need to read and manage on a daily basis. The other email can be read as time permits.

Stop Excessive use of the CC Field One easy way to reduce the amount of email you receive is to stop cc'ing so many people on your emails. This includes skipping the "reply all” button. The less email you send to people, the less you will receive back. By limiting your email to people who need to see your communication, you’ll reduce the clutter. Plus, your family and friends will thank you for not adding to their inbox.

Create Email Filters or rulesCreating filters, also sometimes known as rules, is another effective way to prioritize messages that bombarding your inbox. Use filters to sort important emails so you know which to tackle first. Sorting messages into separate folders allows for easy organization of messages based on subject or sender, or by personal or business relationship. Incoming messages will automatically be placed (i.e. filtered) into the appropriate folders. To learn more about how to create and use filters and rules, read our “Using Email Filters, Folders and other Tips” post.

Save time by Importing Emails from other AccountsFinally, save precious time by aggregating all your email accounts into one inbox so that you never have to leave your primary account. This will you ensure that you never miss an important email and can still adhere to the email time table you outlined for yourself. Email is a useful tool that should help you stay connected with the people in your life, but it shouldn’t become a chore that keeps you from doing other, important things. By following these few, easy steps, you can manage your email more effectively as you strive for “inbox zero.”

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

A lot of us commit to making positive changes in the beginning of the year. These changes range from losing weight, spending more time with family, or even getting more organized. These positive changes can also apply to our email habits. According to a report from the McKinsey Global Institute, users spend approximately 28% of their time each week simply reading, organizing and responding to email. And this is for personal email as well, not just our jobs.

So in an effort to start off the year with good habits, we wanted to share some tips that will help you manage email more efficiently so that you can spend time on things that are important to you.

1. Put email on the ScheduleSuccessful people don’t just check email; they process it. Treat email like any other task. Plan some time for it, put it on your daily schedule and then tackle it like anything else you want to accomplish. More importantly, stick to the allotted time you designated for it so that you don’t get caught up and miss out on other important things. Putting email on your schedule will ensure that it’s done with intention.

2. Stop Excessive use of the CC FieldAnother easy way to keep email management is to stop cc'ing so many people on your emails. This includes skipping the "reply all” button. The less email you send to people, the less you will receive back. By limiting your email to people who need to see your communication, you’ll reduce the clutter. Plus, your family and friends will thank you for not adding to their inbox.

3. Set up Rules & FoldersAnother way to get your email organized is by filtering messages into separate folders. For example, if you are a frequent Amazon shopper you can create a rule to filter Amazon messages into a specified “online shopping” folder. This way, you ensure you never miss a promotion from the retailer or misplace a receipt email because you’ll know exactly where they’re stored. Creating a rule is really simple: from the Settings page, you can create a rule with many or just a few filter requirements. It all depends on what type of messages you wish to focus on (i.e. from a specific user, a particular subject line or even priority level). These are just a few examples of filters that can be implemented. The more you use rules, the easier it will be to find and decide which email needs your immediate attention.

4. Don’t Make Your Inbox, Your To-Do ListPeople often leave messages in their email inbox for reference later, almost as if it is a sort of secondary to-do list. This is not a good idea. When you use your inbox as a “To-do” list, messages tend to live there forever. The pile of unnecessary messages creates chaos and hinders your ability to be productive. Alternatively, ask yourself if can you delete it, forward it to someone else, or can deal with it in five minutes or less. If so, reply to the email immediately and delete the email. If it has to wait until later, schedule a time to reply and move the message to another folder named “Handle this Week”. Also, remember that you have other tools that can serve as a “secondary to-do list”, such the Calendar, Notes or Tasks features – all of which are included within WebMail V12’s Calendar application. If there is an important event to remember, add it to your calendar. If you have an actual “to-do” item, add it to the task list. All of these tools can be utilized so that you aren’t storing messages until the end of time. If you no longer need a message, then delete it and or file it in a folder so that it does not clutter up your inbox.

Putting new email practices in place is a great way to start the New Year. By following these simple recommendations, you’ll be set to have a more productive and balanced approach to your time and productivity.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

As 2016 draws to a close, we’re pleased to say that email is stronger than ever, despite increased competition from Instant Messaging (IM) and social networking sites. In the coming year, Mail2World is looking forward to releasing new feature enhancements to enhance your email experience.

So with it being the season for sharing, we would like to share with you some of the exciting email findings that were discovered this past year:

By the end of 2016, there will be 2.6 billion email users worldwide.

By the end of 2020, the number of worldwide email users will increase to over 3 billion. Users will have an average of two email accounts.

Business emails sent and received per day reached 216 billion in 2016. By the end of 2020, that number will increase by an average of 4.6%.

Mobile email users grew to 1.6 billion and shows no signs of slowing down for both business and consumer users.

Protecting against malware and viruses remains to be a key concern for business users in the in the coming year. Business are investing heavily in anti-malware and anti-virus protection technology.

Time spent checking email increased 17 percent from a year ago among U.S. white-collar workers.

Seventy-nine percent of business professionals check email over the weekend.

On average, people send 19 work emails on the weekends and this trend is showing no signs of slowing down.

These findings show that email is continuing to grow and will do so into 2017. So on behalf of all of us at Mail2World, we want to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season. Have a Happy New Year!

Wednesday, June 08, 2016

With the summer season quickly approaching, chances are you’ll be taking some time off of work. Chances are also good that you’ll come back from vacation to an inbox overflowing with email. We understand the challenges of managing a heavy inbox, which is why Mail2World recommends a few tips to keep you from being tethered to your email while you’re away, and to help smooth your transition back from your getaway.

PRE VACATION

1. Send out a “Heads Up”Before you leave, contact the 10 to 12 people who email you the most often and let them know that you will be away for a specific length of time. Be sure to leave a contact person who can take care of emergencies while you’re away.

2. Create a Vacation Auto-ResponseHaving a vacation response is an effective way to automatically notify people that you are out of the office and unavailable. The auto-response also can help deter them from continuously emailing you and loading your inbox with unnecessary messages.

3. Create Email Filters or rulesCreating filters, also sometimes known as rules, is an effective way to prioritize messages that arrive during your vacation. Use filters to sort important emails so you know which to tackle first when you’re back in the office. Sorting messages into separate folders will allow for easy organization of messages based on subject or sender, or by personal or business relationship. For example, you could create a rule for messages from your boss, and another one for important clients. To learn more about how to create and use filters and rules, read our “Using Email Filters, Folders and other Tips” article.

4. Delegate responsibilities Delegate a point person for your projects. In addition, give that person a way to reach you in case of a real emergency. Be sure to meet with them ahead of time to define what a “real emergency” means and what issues warrant contact with you.

POST VACATION

When you get back, set aside time to address important emails that have accumulated. Start with folders dedicated to your boss and important projects, then read and respond to other messages, as needed.

After you have reviewed your important messages, you can go through some less important messages, such as newsletter subscriptions, news alerts and others. Remember, email is a work tool and shouldn’t be transformed into work within itself.

Finally, it is important to remember that everyone has their own method for handling email. It’s up to you to decide which tips work best in your particular circumstances. We hope you found these suggestions helpful.

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

In this digital age, most of us have an overabundance of photos, videos, documents that record important milestones in our lives. In the past, we’ve resorted to file cabinets, storage boxes, and portable hard drives to store information. But those days are over. With the increasing popularity of cloud storage, keeping important documents and photos is easier than ever.

Drive, Mail2World’s cloud storage application, allows users to store, access and share large files such as documents, photos, videos and more, with anyone with an email account.

Manage Files

The Drive application can be accessed at the top left of the V12 navigation menu. From Drive, you can add, delete, rename folders and more. Click on the Drive application, and you’ll see a set of default folders where you can sort and upload files into for instant access Custom folders can be created to keep personal and work files separate, yet organized. Drive also features useful tools that allow you to monitor how much storage space you have available. You’d be surprised at how much space images and short video files can take up in your account.

Photo Editor

We’ve already mentioned that Drive features useful tools. One of things that makes Mail2World’s Drive unique among cloud storage providers is that it features a fully-integrated photo editor. Think of all the times you had an image to share but had to touch it up first. The Drive Photo Editor allows you to do just that. The editor has a suite of editing tools that include blur, sharpen, grayscale, red-eye removal, image cropping and color correction—to allow you to edit your favorite photos right from Drive. Here’s an example of how the Photo Editing Tool in Drive can be used to crop an image of a bird:

The Photo Editor is just one of the many features within Drive. We’re excited about Drive and hope you like its many features. Stay tuned as we spotlight more applications within WebMail V12.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Last month, Mail2World announced the release of WebMail V12, an online communications hub that makes digital communication a breeze. We’re thrilled with the tremendous feedback we’ve received about the new V12. Over the next few weeks, we will highlight a key feature or application in v12 to give our users a closer look at how they can benefit from the new platform.

Today, we want to spotlight one of the features we’re particularly excited about -- Social Sharing.

WebMail v12 is integrated with 10+ social and video mapping platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Box.com, Dropbox and more, making it easy to share content. Simply click on the social share button at the bottom of the composer, select and log into the social network that contains the content you want to share.

The Social Sharing tool allows you to log into one or all of your social accounts without ever leaving your inbox. The best part is, you can share photos or videos with your email contacts – even if they don’t have a social media account. In addition, it allows you to share various types of content from social media sites, including photos from Facebook and Twitter, to documents on cloud storage sites, such as Dropbox and OneDrive.

Sharing on Social Media Sites (i.e. FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)

Click on the share icon at the bottom of the compose screen and a pop-up window will appear asking for your social account credentials. Once you’ve logged in and the credentials are approved, you’ll be able to share photos which appear as links in an email. Be sure your photo’s privacy settings are set to “public” in the social network’s settings where the photo is being hosted. The email recipient will be able to see the photo you’ve shared even if he or she is not a part of any social network.

Sharing content from Cloud Accounts (i.e. Dropbox, One Drive, etc.)

With the popularity of digital photos, most people back up photos in the cloud to ensure images never get lost. Although WebMail v12 comes with its own cloud storage in its Drive application, we know that many people also have accounts with other providers. That’s why we’ve made it possible for you to share photos, documents and other files from other cloud accounts, such as Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive.

Sharing content from Cloud accounts is a similar process to sharing from social media sites. Simply click on the Social Share tool and login to your Cloud account. Once the credentials are approved, you’ll be able to share files, which appear as links, with your email contacts. Although the links will direct users to a download page from the cloud storage site, the recipient is not required to have an account.

Mail2World is thrilled about the social sharing tool because it brings all your digital communication together in one place, further allowing you to expand your network of friends, business associates and more. With Social Sharing You Can:

Share content with a wider network of people, even if those recipients aren’t part of any social network. All you need is an email address!

Forget size limits on attachments–The Social Sharing feature doesn’t require attaching any files. You never have to worry about exceeding limits again.

Control what and when content is shared– You decide who has access to your content. If you decide you no longer want to share content, simply login to the social network and set that content as private.

Skip (or bypass) downloading before sharing – With Social Sharing, there’s no need to download content to share, simply send the link.

Mail2World is one of the few companies that integrates multiple social networks into its email platform. We’re excited about the social sharing feature within V12 and look forward to hearing your feedback. In the coming months, we’ll spotlight more applications within V12 to give you an in-depth look to help you get the most from this platform. Stay tuned!

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Last week, Mail2World announced WebMail V12, a highly-sophisticated online communications hub featuring four core applications – Email, Contacts, Calendar and Drive. Built using the latest Web technology including AJAX, HTML5 and CSS3, V12 offers a wide array of features to help users manage their online communications.

So why are we so excited about V12? Let’s take a closer look:

All-in-One Communications Hub.

Webmail

The V12 interface is clean and streamlined, with four core applications that are designed to work seamlessly together. Want to send an email? No problem. V12 comes with an advanced Rich Text Editor, dynamic folders structure and language preferences, making email communication simple and easy. You can set rules and filters; star messages; and even have draft emails saved automatically. Email is also connected with the Contacts application, so you have your online rolodex at your fingertips. The V12 email composer has an auto-complete feature that automatically populates the address fields with recipients from your contacts list when you begin typing.

Contacts

As a core application in V12, Contacts comes with easy-to-use tools to help you manage your personal and business contacts. In addition to the contemporary design, Contacts makes it easy to add new contacts and contact groups. You can also share contacts in many online formats such as vCard, csv and XML.

Calendar

Life is busy and keeping track of schedules can be challenging. That’s why V12 comes with a robust online Calendar system. Calendar makes it easy to schedule appointments, meetings and tasks for both business and personal purposes. In addition to scheduling activities, you can also set event reminders and even create tasks associated with any particular activity or event. This core feature makes managing a busy schedule or scheduling a lunch date a breeze.

Drive (Cloud Storage)

Drive, V12’s Cloud Storage application, is an important part of the WebMail V12 platform. Sharing and backing up photos, videos and files is an essential part of digital communication. Use Drive to store and share large files (i.e. photos, videos and documents) with people anywhere in the world

One of the best features within Drive is the advanced Photo Editor, that features professional-level tools such as blur, sharpen, grayscale, red-eye removal, image cropping and color correction. Zoom in/out and out of photos; rotate images horizontally and vertically – all from within your email account. The best part is, you can upload and manipulate images in multiple formats, including anything from traditional .JPG to PNG!

Social Media Integration

Finally, V12 helps you stay connected. The new platform is integrated with a variety of social, video and map platforms, making it easy for you to share photos, music and videos with friends on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps, and others. In addition, new social media platforms will be added in the future!

Stay Tuned

We’re excited about V12 and look forward to hearing your feedback. In the coming months, we’ll spotlight each of the applications within V12 to give you an in-depth look at all the great features within the platform. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, January 05, 2016

Happy New Year! We are thrilled to begin a new year and look forward to the exciting opportunities ahead.

If you been following our Blog for some time, you’ll know that we introduced our MobileSync mobile application for the Andriod and iOS platforms. By now, we’re hoping that many of y ou have downloaded the app and are already using it on a daily basis.

We’re pleased to announce that we recently added a new feature enhancement that makes viewing items on your mobile device even better. The application’s latest enhancement is the zoom in/out function. This feature allows you to employ touch hand gestures to expand the viewing areas on mobile devices, and get a closer look at message contents, folders and images. In addition, the feature takes full advantage of each platform’s touch technology.

The Zoom In/Out enhancement can easily be used to magnify what you are seeing. For a detailed, close-up view, simply expand your fingers while touching the screen. To return to normal viewing, simply close your fingers together still while touching the screen. This can be useful in a plethora of applications, such as reading messages; viewing photos and attachments; and opening and reading documents or PDFs. These are just a few examples of how the Zoom In/Out enhancements can be used to improve your user experience.

The Zoom In/Out enhancements is of the many enhancements available on Mail2World’s MobileSync smartphone applications. If you haven’t tried it yet, we invite you to try our mobile app. The app can be downloaded for free on Google Play and at the Apple AppStore.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

If you’re like most people, you probably spend a lot of time on your smartphone. It’s not surprising. We live in an age where a lot of our personal and business interactions happen over the phone.

That’s we’re thrilled to announce MobileSync, our new mobile application. MobileSync allows you to integrate and manage your personal and business email, contacts and calendar all in one place. No more logging into three different accounts and applications just to stay informed. Now, you can log into one simple-to-use interface to manage your digital interactions.

Packed with powerful features, MobileSync delivers anytime, anywhere, to all synced devices so you always stay up-to-date. The great news is email, contacts and calendar are automatically backed up, so you never lose your data.

Mobilesync

Here’s a look at some of MobileSync’s exciting features:

Smart Composing with Contacts Auto Complete

Type an email address or name in the To:, CC:, or BCC: field and MobileSync will automatically suggest contacts from your phone’s Contacts list.

Automatic Draft Save

Ever been interrupted while drafting an email? Not to worry. MobileSync automatically saves email drafts every seconds so you don’t have to start over if you exit or are interrupted.

Easy adding and downloading of attachments

Attaching and downloading files is quick and easy. MobileSync allows you to attach and download multiple file formats, including PDFs, docx, and images. Want to add an image attachment? No problem. Simply choose an image from an existing Gallery or capture a new image using your camera’s phone.

Downloading files is also a snap. With the click of a button, files can be easily downloaded. Attachments are listed with the file size, and image attachments are displayed as thumbnails so you can preview them before downloading. A status bar lets you know when the download is complete.

Visual and Audio Email Notifications

People want to stay up-to-date, which is why MobileSync was built with robust notification features. MobileSync alerts you of new email by displaying a counter on the application’s icon.

For those who also like audio alerts, MobileSync also allows you to assign a notification tone that sounds whenever an email is delivered. You never have to worry about missing an important email.

Easy Navigation

Moving between messages is as simple as swiping to the left and right from your inbox.

Language Selection

English not your primary language? Not as issue. MobileSync allows you to choose between English, Spanish or Portuguese with additional languages planned in the future.

Customized File Management

MobileSync comes with the ability to create folders so you can organize your email. With a few clicks, you can create and move email messages to folder you select.

Customized Sync Settings

With MobileSync, you are in control. MobileSync allows you to synchronize the content you choose.

Get Even More with MobileSync+

Some of you might be thinking, “Sounds great, but I want more.” We hear you, which is why Mail2World created MobileSync+, a premium service for people who want to do more with their phone.

MobileSync+ goes beyond basic email and calendar integration by allowing you to also back up music, videos, photos and documents in a secure cloud. Data is stored securely so you never have to fear losing your precious files. In addition to backing up data, MobileSync+ allows you to share your content with your social circles. Share documents with business associates, images and videos with family and friends. It’s simple, safe and secure.

These are just some of the exciting features in our mobile solutions. We are thrilled to introduce MobileSync and MobileSync+ to our customers, and look forward to adding features in the future.

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Mail2World is a world-class email hosting provider. We offer business email, mobile email, reseller email hosting, and private-label email services. With the richest feature set in the industry, Mail2World's customer base includes hundreds of reputable brands and prominent organizations from around the world, including publicity-traded corporations, telecom carriers, mobile operators, and some of the most-recognized universities and online social portals. Solutions include business email, mobile email, reseller email hosting, email security, email encryption and FailSafe Protection.